One artist’s journey to become a better version of himself I have a confession to make. My plan to completely redesign and overhaul my daily schedule hit a snag. Let me explain. This past month I planned out my daily schedule and tried to establish it as my regular routine. But I quickly realized that I had bitten off more than I can chew. Planning a comprehensive daily schedule is a fine exercise. But implementing it is quite another story. My model daily schedule is fairly extensive and includes exercise, diet, work schedule,…Read more

One artist’s journey to become a better version of himself by focusing on systems instead of goals or resolutions “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.” – Chuck Close This year I'm not doing New Years resolutions. Instead, I'm doing something a little different. Top Level: My Word of the Year My word-of-the-year for 2017 is “Discipline”. Discipline – noun • activity that provides mental or physical training • orderly or prescribed training that corrects, molds, or perfects one’s behavior, skill, mental faculties, or moral…Read more

Two-day art show this Friday and Saturday, August 26 & 27, 2016 from 10am – 5 pm at Broken Road Studio. Broken Road Studio is located in the River Arts District at 115 Roberts St, Asheville, NC (near the roundabout). I'll be painting at the Studio if you'd like to stop by and see works in progress. Broken Road Studio is the working studio and gallery of Philip DeAngelo who is graciously hosting this show.Read more

On location at one of Asheville's most scenic gardens Painting en plein air with an outdoor painting club. Spring is at its peak and outdoor painting season is here. On one Saturday in May, a group of artists from the WNC Plein Air Painters, set up their easels at the Botanical Gardens at Asheville to capture the lush scenery. WNCPAP - Artists and Colleagues Even though painting is essentially a solo endeavor, there is something wonderful about the camaraderie of painting with (or near) fellow artists. It's also fun to see what everyone…Read more

Asheville artist Brennen McElhaney takes on the challenge of painting a soaring fireplace mural. Most of my painting is done on canvas, maybe 16 x 20 inches on average. So, when my client asked if I would consider painting a 14 foot tall fireplace mural, I had to expand my repertoire a bit. Sketches and Mockups Thanks to the digital magic of Photoshop I was able to do preliminary sketches and then superimpose them onto photographs of the fireplace. This was essential to get preliminary approval from my client and to make sure…Read more

Washington DC is remarkable, for many reasons, not the least of which is the architecture. While sorting through some photos, I ran across some pictures from a family trip to Washington DC. What a fantastic time. And what wonderful architecture! I was inspired to do a few pen and ink drawings in my sketchbook, which I submit for your viewing pleasure. Let me know if you'd like to see more of these Washington DC Sketches.Read more

(This is #4 of a 4 part series.) Craggy Overlook About half way between Asheville and nearby Mount Mitchell (the highest point east of the Mississippi River) the Blue Ridge Parkway passes through the Craggy Mountains. At Milepost 364, I set up my easel and painted the breathtaking overlook to the North. Highland Lake Circa 1910 This painting depicts an old abandoned house in the hills near Franklin, NC. After some discussion with other painters at the paintout, we guessed that the home was built in the early 1900s. Hence the name, "Circa…Read more